200% Increase in Alcoholic Liver Diseases During Celtic Tiger Years
The mortality rate (per 100,000 population aged 15 and over) of those who died in hospital from ALD was 2.6 in 1995 and 7.5 in 2009, an increase of 188%. “We have a situation where there is a massive industry based around alcohol yet none of the money is put into harm reduction. There should be some sort of levy on alcohol advertisements or off licence sales to fund research for better treatment.”
Prof Aiden McCormick, Chairman of the Irish Society Gastroenterology & Consultant Hepatologist / Gastroenterologist at St. Vincent’s University Hospital
Research carried out by Prof Aiden McCormick, Consultant Hepatologist / Gastroenterologist at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, and Dr Deirdre Mongan, Research Officer at the Health Research Board, has shown a startling increase in alcoholic liver disease (ALD) between 1995 and 2009.
According to Prof McCormick: “We’ve seen a massive increase in ALD which reflects what is happening in society and the changing patterns of drinking. The death levels among the younger age group is fairly low, but has dramatically increased. We can also expect that mortality rates will increase in the older age groups as the cohort who were drinking heavily when younger get older.” The research, which focused on trends in the occurrences of the disease, showed that there were 27,816 discharges with a diagnosis of ALD between 1995 and 2009. The rate of ALD discharges (per 100,000 adults) increased by 201%, from 28.3 in 1995 to 85.1 in 2009.
The study also shows that there were considerable increases in ALD rates across all age groups, but most significantly among the younger age groups:
- 15 to 34 years 275%
- 35 to 49 years 227%
- 50 to 64 years 159%
- over 65s years 145%
Of all discharges, 9% died while still in hospital. The mortality rate (per 100,000 population aged 15 and over) of those who died in hospital from ALD was 2.6 in 1995 and 7.5 in 2009, an increase of 188%. “There is now a higher mortality rate amongst those with ALD than with heart attacks, but there are very little resources to deal with it,” says Prof McCormick. “It’s a very serious public health problem, which is being addressed by various committees, but the hospital based care aspect isn’t being looked at. There should be systemised and centralised care which is how care for various cancers has improved. Treatment of Hepatitis C has dramatically improved because resources have been put into it and they are curing up to 70% of patients. Yet the treatment of ALD hasn’t changed at all.
“We have a situation where there is a massive industry based around alcohol yet none of the money is put into harm reduction. There should be some sort of levy on alcohol advertisements or off licence sales to fund research for better treatment.”
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For further information or interview requests please call Andrew Mernagh of Mernagh Consulting at 087-2911028.
Hey There Mernaghconsulting,
This question may be a little off-topic, The largest organ in your body is your liver. It regulates your ability to metabolize fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is also involved in many other different functions throughout your body that will keep you alive. Many contaminants, as well as disease-causing elements will pass through the liver. This is the reason why there are so many different diseases that can affect this organ, and this is the reason why it is very important to keep it healthy.
I’ll be back to read more next time
False